It's Monday again, our day to Read-Weekly-Gossip,
so, hey RWG!
And today, I have the honor of writing the entire blog text in English. I think you might be confused and wonder why I am writing in English, so let me explain. Do you know anything about Saint Patrick's Day?
It's a cultural and religious holiday that honours the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Irish people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day on March 17th and it is a bank holiday in Ireland.
But who was St. Patrick?
He was born in the Roman Empire in the late 4th century. Sadly, he was kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16, and had to work as a slave in Ireland. After six years of hard labour, he finally managed to escape and run back to his family. Later, he returned to Ireland as a missionary, in order to spread Christianity across Ireland. The date of his death is March 17th, and this is the day the Irish think of and celebrate their patron saint.
Of course, St. Patrick's Day has a lot of traditions: There are often amazing and beautiful parades, Irish people wear green for good luck, they play traditional Irish folk music and dance. The most popular food on St. Patrick's Day is corned beef and cabbage, which is easy to prepare, but you need much time to let the beef simmer. Irish people also eat Irish stew, soda bread and mashed potatoes. On this day, family and friends come together to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland.
Cities in the U.S., like New York, Boston and Chicago, also celebrate St. Patrick's Day with parades, and maybe you are wondering now, why St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in parts of the U.S. since I have just told you that it is an Irish holiday. Any guesses?
Well, maybe you have already heard about the "Great Famine“. When the "Great Famine“ broke out in 1845 in Ireland, the potatoe crop was rotten and many people had nothing to eat. Thousands of them were starving. That was when many Irish people decided to leave their country and most of them emigrated to the U.S., and naturally, they took their traditions with them.
The costumes and clothes people wear in the parades are of green colour because green stands for good luck and good health. Traditional Irish folk music is played on the tin whistle, fiddle and bodhran (a type of drum) during the parades and festivities.
So, I think, St. Patrick's Day is more than just a party; it is a day to honour the patron of Ireland, who has been a role model to Christians all over the world. No matter, if you are Irish or not, this holiday brings families together, who can enjoy their time together with good food and conversations.
Maybe you yourselves have relatives in Ireland or in the U.S., who will celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the upcoming Sunday? If not, you might have the chance to join celebrations in one of our many Irish pubs this weekend.
So, that was it with our weekly gossip. See y'all next week,
Your Blog!